Skip to main content

EU may challenge German road toll law

The European Commission will consider a legal challenge against Germany over the new road toll law, according to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Critics argue that the toll discriminates against foreigners. The European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that the planned German road toll did not appear to conform to EU rules prohibiting discrimination against foreigners. "The Commission, the guardian of the EU treaties, now has to explore
June 2, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The 1690 European Commission will consider a legal challenge against Germany over the new road toll law, according to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Critics argue that the toll discriminates against foreigners.

The European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung that the planned German road toll did not appear to conform to EU rules prohibiting discrimination against foreigners.

"The Commission, the guardian of the EU treaties, now has to explore whether the treaties have been violated - if necessary at the European Court of Justice," Juncker said.

The toll, which Germany's parliament approved in March, will force foreign car drivers to pay up to 130 euros (US$143) a year for using the country's motorways.

German drivers would also pay the toll, but would receive a corresponding reduction in automobile taxes, which critics inside and outside the ruling grand coalition say contravenes EU rules.

Juncker's comments follow a report in Die Welt on Saturday that quoted Commission sources saying it planned to launch a legal challenge against Germany.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Measuring the effectiveness of winter VMS
    August 5, 2013
    A survey into the effectiveness of weather-related variable message signs on a trans-mountain highway has some interesting results, as Alexis Bacelar told ITS Europe. A study in the Massif Central region of France evaluating the usefulness of winter weather warning signs has highlighted the effect of variable message signs on driver behaviour. During the winter of 2009-2010, road operator Massif Central Direction Interdépartementale des Routes (MC DIR) started installing bad weather-specific variable messag
  • ETSC presents road safety awards
    April 19, 2012
    The European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC) is giving awards to Lithuania and Sweden for the efforts these countries have made in improving road safety. The ETSC is monitoring progress in reaching the EU target of reducing road deaths by 50% between 2001 and 2010 under its Road Safety PIN Programme. And because Lithuania and Sweden have been so successful in improving road safety, ETSC handed its 2011 PIN Award to these countries. The Road Safety PIN Report 2011 was presented at the ETSC conference in B
  • Redflex enters into non-prosecution agreement with United States
    January 4, 2017
    The Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of Ohio (collectively, “DOJ”) have entered into a non-prosecution agreement with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., a Phoenix-based automated safety company. The agreement was reached in part due to Redflex’s extensive and thorough cooperation over recent years, which is detailed in the agreement. It included cooperation with the successful prosecutions of several individuals, in
  • Moscow pins hopes on V2X
    March 18, 2020
    A new transport strategy is aimed at creating conditions for the introduction of new ITS developments within Moscow – and 5G and V2X are on the agenda